Jumping the Gunn
This Sunday’s premiere of DC Studios’ Lanterns on HBO Max was met with highly positive reception. Between the chemistry of Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), the gritty detective approach to the Green Lantern character, and an overall great grounding of what a Green Lantern could be, the verdict’s already been ruled on Twitter: the DCU could be back in a major way. I’ve had a bit of hope for this show myself, mostly for virtue of righting wrongs; studio head James Gunn has mentioned Lanterns will expand on some concepts introduced in the series finale of Peacemaker. I didn’t like the way Peacemaker left off like that—I felt it to be sudden and unsatisfying—so it’s great we’re finally going to get some clarity not too long after that. However, what’s giving audiences hopes for this series is not the teased tie-ins to the greater DCU, but rather how grounded its story keeps itself despite the Green Lantern’s traditionally fantastical nature.
Hal and John aren’t the Green Lantern troops we’ve been introduced to previously in the DCU—that would be Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), who is set to appear later in the season. However, the two have a dynamic that makes the most sense within the series’ narrative. The show takes place in the Midwest as the two Green Lantern agents investigate a murder Hal suspected was linked to intergalactic forces. I think this more grounded approach is what’s captivated audiences so much with just one episode. It’s not like the show doesn’t retain some of the more fantastical elements of the Green Lantern story, I mean, we see Hal Jordan fly off pretty early on as well as John Stewart using the ring to survive a car crash. Even with these elements, the show retains a small-town focus on a mystery that could have ramifications on their whole world, or worse.
This localized, realist approach to superhero series and films is something the genre has been missing for a while now, and I feel those elements returning in series like this and films like Spider-Man: Brand New Day is what’s drawing audiences back in after what feels like years of on-and-off productions following Avengers: Endgame. As much of an escape as the medium of film can feel for many, often times a level of immersion needs to be sustained; the story taking itself seriously enough for the viewer to invest themselves fully, emotionally and mentally. There’s a stark contrast in how Marvel and DC portray their narrative in films like Thor: Love and Thunder and Shazam: Fury of the Gods versus Brand New Day and Lanterns. Keeping your story human is what keeps others drawn—the characters themselves don’t even have to be quite human, but in nature the plot we follow should implement the human experience as seamlessly as they can.
We don’t have much to go off currently aside from what’s just been aired. As it stands, the pilot for Lanterns strikes a chord that I wasn’t expecting any DCU production to hit so soon after Peacemaker‘s second season. We’ll keep our eye on this one as it develops, and hopefully concludes on a better-rounded note than the previous series.
Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max.